Ga. Man Sues Fresenius for Wife’s Wrongful Dialysis Death

Georgia plaintiff Willie Floyd is suing Fresenius Medical Care for the wrongful death of his wife, Hollis Floyd.  Floyd alleges that the decedent suffered from cardiac complications, which she ultimately died from, as a result of using the Fesenius dialysis chemicals GranuFlo and NaturaLyte.

According to the GranuFlo lawsuit, Hollis Floyd had been prescribed GranuFlo and/or NaturaLyte three times a week, starting from 2004.  Despite using the products regularly for almost a decade, the decedent’s life came to an abrupt end, allegedly as a result of using these products.

On Jan. 19, 2012, the decedent received her routine dialysis treatment and was administered the typical amount given at the session.   However, shortly after the procedure, the decedent suffered cardiac arrest and died on Jan. 20, 2012.  Floyd and his wife had not been aware of the products’ potential consequences until the FDA’s public announcement in 2012, according to the GranuFlo lawsuit.

Floyd states that before the announcement that he, his wife, and their physicians had no way of knowing that these dialysis products were dangerous, and they would not have used them if they had known.  Additionally, there were no warnings or indications on the products’ labels, nor were there any special instructions for the administrators, the GranuFlo lawsuit claims.

Floyd states that Fresenius had the direct responsibility of disclosing any and all side effects of these products because he and his wife were relying on the accuracy of the given information at the time.  Because that information was not available, Floyd claims his wife died — and Fresenius should be held accountable. It’s the same claim being made in hundreds of GranuFlo lawsuits filed throughout the country.

So for being directly responsible for manufacturing, selling, distributing, and marketing a dangerous product, Floyd is suing Fresenius Medical Care.  The charges include: negligence, false advertising, misrepresenting a product, and concealing information.

Overview of Fresenius Dialysis Complications

Fresenius Medical Care is the largest dialysis treatment company in the United States, and provides the most dialysis products worldwide.  They have over 1,800 clinics in America, employ hundreds of medical professionals, and treat thousands of dialysis patients each year.  GranuFlo and NaturaLyte are their most popular products, as well as being the premier choice for dialysis procedures.  However, recent revelations about Fresenius and its products have caused many to question the safety of dialysate solutions.

GranuFlo is a dry dialysate concentrate that is dissolved into the treatment fluid of the patient; NaturaLyte is its liquid cousin and is diluted down before administration. Both of these products are used to treat kidney failure through the treatment of hemodialysis, by cleaning the blood.  Dialysate is often composed of three ingredients: ultrapure water, bicarbonate concentrate, and acid concentrate.  GranuFlo and NaturaLyte were approved in 2003 and 2007 respectively, and have been marketed by Fresenius as safe and efficient products.

This was allegedly proven wrong as injury and death reports were submitted to the FDA, indicating that the products could have fatal side effects.  It was soon discovered that during the dialysis procedures, the patient’s bicarbonate levels went up, the potassium levels went up as well, which slowed down the patient’s blood.  This led to heart attack, stroke, heart arrhythmia, and other similar complications.

Fresenius allegedly knew about this defect, but had taken active measures to cover up the fact.  In 2011, an internal memo from Fresenius was leaked to the FDA, which warned Fresenius-employed doctors and clinics, to be watchful of GranuFlo and NaturaLyte patients.  The reason for this caution stemmed from an in-house study Fresenius conducted, which observed the products interacting with the patients; over 900 deaths occurred from this study.

This caused the FDA to issue a first-class product recall in 2012, warning patients of the discovered side effects.

Since then, hundreds of GranuFlo recall lawsuits have been filed and consolidated into multidistrict litigation called In Re: Fresenius GranuFlo/NaturaLyte Dialysate Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2428, in the United States District Court of Massachusetts.

File a GranuFlo or NaturaLyte Lawsuit Today

If you believe that you or a loved one have been the victim of a GranuFlo or NaturaLyte injury, you have legal options.  Please visit the Kidney Dialysis Heart Attack GranuFlo and NaturaLyte Recall Class Action Lawsuit Investigation.  There, you can submit your claim for a free legal review and if it qualifies for legal action, a seasoned GranuFlo or NaturaLyte lawyer will contact you for a free, no-obligation consultation.  You will be guided through the litigation process at no out-of-pocket expenses or hidden fees.  The GranuFlo or NaturaLyte attorneys working this investigation do not get paid until you do.